This invention provides a method to measure parameters of a fluid/particle mixture in a pipe that can be used in many applications, such as in chemical, pharmaceutical, petroleum and power generation industries. In particular, the invention provides a method to measure pulverized coal and air mixtures used in pulverized fuel delivery systems in place in a large percentage of coal fired boilers used in the power generation industry.
Currently, well over 50% of the electricity in the US is generated with coal. While coal is considered a cost effective, abundant resource in the US, the use of coal has been restricted due in large part to environmental concerns. To mitigate this impact, the US Department of Energy and the Power Generation industry have large programs designed to develop technology to reduce the environment effects of burning coal. These Clean Coal Initiatives include technology designed to develop improvements in the combustion process to improve efficiency while reducing pollutants such as unburned carbon, ash, and nitrous oxide (NOx).
The ability to measure the flow rate and composition of the air/coal mixture within the coal pipes is an important aspect of any system or strategy designed to optimize the performance of the PF delivery system. The industry recognizes this and therefore has been developing a wide variety of technologies to perform this measurement. These include probe based and sampling devices, as well as real time meters based on a wide variety of technologies including electrostatic charges, microwaves, and ultrasonic.